(395i) Metal-Organic Framework – Metal Oxide Nanoparticle Composites for Gas Adsorption

Metal-organic frameworks, highly porous materials consisting of metal nodes connected via organic linkers, are promising materials for a wide range of adsorption applications.  Composite materials consisting of metal oxide nanoparticles included within metal-organic framework (MOF) particles were formed to increase the type and density of active sites.  These composites were formed by synthesizing Cu-BTC around pre-formed metal oxide nanoparticles much larger than the pores of the MOF, including titanium dioxide and magnesium oxide.  The Cu-BTC+MO composites were characterized to determine nanoparticle inclusion and changes to the MOF’s pore system.  Weight-normalized properties, such as surface area and pore volume, were reduced with the inclusion of the heavier nanoparticles but the contribution to the total pore volume from the smallest pores, attributed to the Cu-BTC pore system, is comparable for samples synthesized under similar conditions with and without nanoparticle incorporation.  Static and dynamic adsorption experiments were conducted for environmentally and industrially relevant gases under dry and humid conditions.